The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has pledged to increase the amount of business the State awards to Irish companies.
Speaking at the launch of the Guaranteed Irish campaign, Richard Bruton said it was common knowledge that a higher proportion of public procurement in Ireland goes to overseas companies than in most EU countries.
He said public procurement was a source where the State could develop better opportunities for small businesses.
Mr Bruton said that qualification thresholds for tenders were sometimes set too high and automatically excluded smaller businesses. He said his department was working with the Department of Finance to open up those opportunities. He also said the Government was looking across the board at opportunities to reduce costs within its control.
Guaranteed Irish could guarantee jobs
A modest increase in spending by households on Guaranteed Irish goods and services of only €4 a week could create over 6,000 new jobs in Ireland.
That is according to new research carried out by Amárach on the impact of 'Guaranteed Irish' on the economy. It reveals the average household spends just under €16 a week on Irish products and services.
The estimated annual turnover of Guaranteed Irish firms is €1.2 billion, with 23,700 employees. The membership of the scheme has increased by 40% in the last year.
The research also shows that most Irish consumers believe it is more important today to buy Irish goods and services than it was five years ago. 83% of people say buying Irish makes them feel they are doing their bit for the country.
It also reveals that young people are very supportive of buying Irish for economic reasons with 35% of 16-24 year olds doing so because it helps the economy. This compares to just 18% of those aged over 55.
The vast majority of those surveyed also said that Irish companies should highlight the fact that their products or services are Irish, the Amárach survey shows.
